An Interview With The Jay Cutler Of Women's Bodybuilding, Dayana Cadeau!

She believes winning the Ms. Olympia will help her reach more women to pass on the virtues of striving for perfection... I spoke to an extremely motivated Dayana recently and she told me of her Olympia strategy. Here's what she said.

Article Summary:

The Dayana Classic is to be held for the first time in 2009.

Dayana does 4 hours of cardio and trains 2 times a day.

She is known as the Jay Cutler of women's bodybuilding.

An Interview With The Jay Cutler Of Women's Bodybuilding, Dayana Cadeau

Having battled for the Ms. Olympia title for several years only to have narrowly lost each time places the ever-dynamic Muscle Seductress Dayana Cadeau into a select group of competitors who persistently and courageously continue until victorious. And the reason such competitors, men's champion Jay Cutler being one, continue is because they know victory is within their reach, and that if physical improvements are made from year to year, their time will come.

And such is the case with Dayana. Having made even greater improvements to her 5' 4 1/2" 140-pound physique, including a wider back, broader shoulders, enhanced biceps peak and smaller waist, complete with the best conditioning she has achieved three weeks out from any contest, she is, by her own admission, on target to winning her first open division Ms. Olympia title in 2008 (she won the lightweight version in 2004).

A flag bearer for tenaciousness and devotion, the indefatigable Dayana currently blasts through four hours' cardio daily along with the usual ultra-intense weights work, this year made even harder with the assistance of coach Oscar Ardon who has enabled her to push through the pain barrier to carve greater density into her already rock hard, striated musculature.

Always positive and optimistic of her chances of success, Dayana knows that it is only a matter of time before she accomplishes her goal of winning Ms. Olympia (open class) and it is this very strength of mind, coupled with a strong spiritual faith, that has enabled her to overcome recent major setbacks to continue unwaveringly pushing forward with her eyes firmly focused upon her destiny.

As a role model for feminine beauty represented by a strong mind and body, Dayana hopes, with a Ms. Olympia win, to inspire women of all ages to reach for the stars. She herself has recently branched off into promoting her own contest, the Dayana Classic, to be held for the first time in 2009, while establishing a clothing line.

Winning the Olympia title, she believes, will help her to reach more women to pass on the virtues of striving for perfection through building a better body, from which a stronger mind, improved focus and greater life opportunities will result. I spoke to an extremely motivated Dayana recently and she told me of her Ms. Olympia winning strategy.

[ Q ] How are things going for you right now, three weeks out from the 2008 Ms. Olympia?

[ A ] It is going great, but I'm also quite tired after doing four hours of
cardio a day.

[ Q ] That seems like a lot of cardio. How many times per day do you weight train on top of this?

[ A ] I will go to the gym twice a day. What I will do is one hour (cardio) on an empty stomach in the morning at home, and then I will go train some clients at the gym.

I will then do two hours' cardio at the gym in the afternoon, and then come back home and rest and try to take a nap, then I will go back and train (with weights). Finally I will come back home and do one hour of cardio before bed. Right now I'm in extremely good shape. I have striations everywhere.

[ Q ] You would expect that amount of cardio to have an extreme fat burning effect, and hence the striations.

[ A ] Yes, and right now I'm on
low carbohydrates; I'm practically living on
protein. So right now I have a new lease on life (laughs). I have to keep up the cardio like that not because I have a problem getting sharp - I get really lean two weeks after starting my diet, and my body begins changing for the better - but to keep at the size I want to be at without gaining too much mass.

You know, everybody is different so I have to do that (four hours' cardio per day). If I want to be under-145 (pounds), and around 135, I have to keep up the cardio like that. I don't have a choice. Usually it is two to three hours (per day), but this year I have pushed myself to the limit. So I said, "Let me try for four hours." And it worked well, so this is what I do.

[ Q ] And is this every day, right?

[ A ] Yes, every day. Some days will be non-training days, but the cardio will not stop on these days.

[ Q ] How on earth do you maintain any muscle mass at all with such excessive cardio combined with low carbohydrates and weight training?

[ A ] I know - it must be
genetics that is getting me there. They call me the Cardio Queen (laughs).

[ Q ] And where do you find the energy to do all of this work in combination with dealing with the regular stresses of daily life?

[ A ] I get up at 6:30 every morning and the energy is there. First of all I want to thank God - I'm very spiritual - because he helps me every day. Because he is the one who has given me this beautiful physique and the genetics and
strength, and health.

At 43-years-old and still having all this energy and being able to do what I do, I just thank him every day. When I start my day, I spend some time with him - about 30-minutes - and that helps me. And also for the first time this year - and for years I always did everything myself - I decided to team up with Oscar Ardon, Kai's trainer.

Oscar and I became very good friends and he loves working with athletes like me. He is in New York, but I travel once or twice a month to visit him. In fact, this Saturday I will be going there to train with him.

I saw what he did with Kai, we think alike and I love his ideas so we are going to see some great changes in my physique this year. And Oscar is very supportive. We talk every day over the phone and he is following my progress and checking what I weigh every day to ensure I am on target. And we discuss nutrition.

We determine what needs to be done differently to get the best results. So far it has worked really fine; we have been working together for two months. I'm very happy with the results.

[ Q ] What specifically does Oscar have you doing in the gym and could you contrast this to how you used to train?

[ A ] I always have a hard time as far as gaining mass easily is concerned. So I was very afraid to push it more however strange that might sound. Even though I know I can push it more and take the pain, I was scared of gaining too much mass. But he taught me to train with more intensity and to push through regardless. And after we have trained together I just can't walk for three days.

This man is unbelievable. He's a wonderful friend, supportive person, and very good coach. We just make a good team and we push each other. He knows my limits and what I can do.

He believes in me and knows I deserve to win the Ms. Olympia. Oscar also changed and adjusted a couple of nutritional aspects, which have given me better results. I know how to diet, but took his ideas and trusted him and it has paid off.

[ Q ] Speaking of winning the Ms. Olympia open title, how will you accomplish this so-far elusive goal, in 2008?

[ A ] I have the whole package; all I have to do is bring a little more density. I'm not too far off. The problem was, whenever I was getting ready I would always bring the best shape, but during the day something would happen and I would get a little bit tired, which caused me to hold a little water at the finals. And this is what made me lose by one point to
Iris all of the time.

This time it's not going to happen. He's (Oscar's) going to be there with me, following everything and making sure that all the food is being eaten at the right times and following how I look so we can adjust so that I can be perfect for the finals as well.

[ Q ] So winning the title will come down to losing that last remaining subcutaneous water prior to the finals?

[ A ] Yes, exactly.

[ Q ] What are some of the ways in which your coach Oscar has enhanced the quality of your training?

[ A ] He has just had me focus more on the intensity of the workout to pass through my pain. Normally I would do like 15 or 20 repetitions and then I would get tired and the muscle would burn and I would stop there. But I had to learn to go past that point, past the pain and increase the weight.

And I learned I could do this; and that I can do it and not become afraid of gaining too much mass. And of course I am doing four hours' cardio a day. Now I am doing around 30 reps and it burns more. You have a certain time period to do these in and the burn increases even more, and you don't have much time.

I still stick with the same program I have always done, but have made the changes in intensity. But now I am checking my pictures and determining what needs more work. And we pose together - we started in July. So we are constantly checking what needs to be worked based on what my posing shows.

We decided we would need to work more back and biceps. So my back is now wider and my waist is smaller; my shoulders are much wider and my biceps are much better peaked. So everything is more balanced. We also worked to achieve more striations on my butt, and we did. Everything is calculated and I just have to keep working hard until the Olympia.

[ Q ] You will be bringing a larger, yet more balanced physique?

[ A ] What I'm going to bring is a complete package; the judges are going to see more detail and my definition is going to be deeper. Because that's what Iris had against me, and this time she won't have that. Because I have the whole package and I'm going to be as hard.

[ Q ] Do you think that the controversy surrounding Iris' showing at the Ms. International earlier this year will influence the judges' decision regarding her Olympia placement?

[ A ] I know Iris is coming back for revenge and I know what happened hurt her, and I know she is not going to do the same thing at the Olympia because she is not going to want to lose her title. So that's why I'm going to be prepared for her.

I know she is working hard, so I'm trying to work harder than she is. So it's
motivating for me having a competitor like her in the show. She's an amazing athlete and she works extremely hard and being compared to her is an honor. It just helps to push me more.

[ Q ] How hard has it been for you to reconcile the fact that it often comes down to a single point separating the two of you, yet the title always goes the way of Iris?

[ A ] I remember sitting on a plane with
Jay Cutler two years ago and I told him I was so happy for him that he finally won the Mr. Olympia and beat
Ronnie. And he said, "Yes, and I heard they call you Jay Cutler."

See people were always teasing me because I was always second, like him. He went on to say that it would take me three times, like him, to win the title. And I was thinking about that and started laughing because it is true, because she has beaten me three times and now she is not going to beat me again.

[ Q ] What is the toughest part for you in preparing for the Ms. Olympia?

[ A ] I usually love training and it's not that hard for me. It's just that when it's getting closer the training does become a little harder. And when you have no body fat, when you get up in the morning you just don't know how you are going to feel. But I've been doing this for years so my mind is set and I'm conditioned for that.

Even when I get weak in the afternoon and still have to do my errands - I still have a life, bills to pay and so on - I still, even with no social life, have to keep up with all of these things.

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That is the hardest thing: fitting it all in. Twenty-four hours in the day is not enough for me when I'm getting ready for a show. Besides that, I'm not afraid to do four hours' cardio and training and dieting. It's just the timing and how I feel at certain times of the day. But I have to go through that and forget the weakness. Set my mind.

[ Q ] How would you describe your competitive mindset and how does it give you the edge?

[ A ] I look to win every contest; that's how I think. I'm a champ. Even if I get sick or whatever, I'm going there to win. But for sure, this year I feel completely different. Not that I ever duck as a champion, but this year for the first time I have really learned to appreciate the whole process. And I have really learned to think of myself first and be a little bit selfish; but I'm not a selfish person.

They say bodybuilders are selfish and we have to be to an extent, but I'm not naturally that way. I did however learn this time not to get distracted by anything, but just to concentrate only on my show.

As an example, the last six months have been extremely disappointing and hard because
Kai and I broke up. I put so much energy and time and had a dream and thought this person was sharing the same dream. I have not heard from him since we broke up. So because of this split I have learned to place more attention on my own
goals, rather than on the both of us as I was doing before.

[ Q ] So Oscar has been a good support person through this difficult time in your life?

[ A ] Yes, he came into my life for a reason. Obviously Kai wasn't my prince charming, wasn't the one for me. But I learned something from that and I'm sure he did too. But Oscar was supposed to be there and this is my year. And I'm very happy about that.

[ Q ] You must be an incredibly driven and focused person to continue training and dieting in spite of what has happened.

[ A ] Yes, but I have to and I have to thank God for that. Because without him I would be depressed and I don't think I would be able to do it. And with Oscar in my life, this has enabled me to come through this break up. He has made it clear that I am a good athlete and a champ. So I don't have to worry about that. That did help.

[ Q ] Since you have been competing in this contest for so long, has the whole concept of the Ms. Olympia changed for you or do you still approach it with the same mindset you did back when you first began?

[ A ] Of course there is the prestige associated with the Olympia and you can't go further than that. Being second in the world and being around the best has been wonderful. So the contest has always meant a lot to me but this (2008) is going to be my time, and I will be pushing even harder (to win).

Not that I was taking it for granted in the past like, "Okay here is the Ms. Olympia again, whatever, I will train hard and get it," but this year I'm going to make history. It just means a lot to me; it's extra special this time because I have worked harder than ever, compared to all those years' trying to get there. With everything I went through, to make it would mean a lot to me.

[ Q ] What is your post-2008 Olympia plan? Will you, outcome depending, come back and either defend your title, or try again?

[ A ] When I win I'm going to go back for my title, yes (laughs). I'm not saying that I'm going to be another
Lenda Murray. But in saying that, it is not that this is not possible. It's not like, "Oh well, because I'm getting older."

Click Image To Enlarge.8-Time Ms. Olympia Lenda Murray.

I don't think like that because I've got other plans. Now I'm working on my clothing line and I'm going to have my show, The Dayana Classic, next year, my first bodybuilding-show. So I have other stuff that I'm working on. So yes I'm going to go back for my title and I will take it year by year. But I'm not going to say, "I will go for it eight times."

[ Q ] And of course being Ms. Olympia will benefit you in many more ways than achieving the distinction of attaining such a title.

[ A ] It will and I hope it will help other female bodybuilders because the package that I have presents the sport in the best way, and I would also like to be a good role model for these women, to show them that it is not only about competing, but there are other things that can be done as well that are connected to bodybuilding - other than just being Ms. Olympia.

Even if you have the title, you need to do something with it, you need to be a role model and make a difference in the sport of women's bodybuilding too. So I would like to show those women that they could do something too, that they can also be pretty and feminine as well as having muscles.

[ Q ] Well I'm sure that you would make a great Ms. Olympia Dayana. It has been my pleasure talking with you - all the very best to you and good luck.

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